The Portland daily press., 1887-09-01
RUNNING A LOCOMOTIVE.
An Old Grand Trunk Engineer Tells
How II Should be Done.-The Road
From Portland to Island Pond In
Old Times.
indianapolis Journal.l

see, Sald AuOnlram y. PO0le, VINO was Tor
many years locomotive engineer running
into this city. but who retired about dozen
years ago. 81 began in March, 1s53-that's
over thirty-four years ago-on the Grand
Trunk road, running between Portland, Me-,
and Island Pond, Vt. | was on the Ameri-
can end of the road, which extended on to
Montreal and one branch to Quebec Rail-
roading then was comparatively in its in
fancy, but think there are some things that
have not since been improved as much as
they should have been, while others are
fireman at first, but in about year was
running an engine. We didn't then average
more than twenty miles an hour on passen-
ger trains. At that time part of the road was
laid with the old 'U' rail. These were laid
on timbers lengthwise with the rail, instead
of as now on ties crosswise. Accidents were
comparatively few, because, even if the
train ran off the track, the speed was not
sufficient to cause much OF smash up. The
bridges were new, but they were more sub
stantial than many bridges that have been
built since. The culyerts were of stone, and
that is what roads should have now. Why,
right here in Indiana, where stone is plen-
tY, they insist on using timber, and repairs
are made with timber year after year. Tim
ber rotS and burns, and stone does neither.
l came to IDdiana in the winter Of 1856,
Christmas week, and went on the road that
then ran from Richmond to Logansp0rt. In
February, 1857, / went on the Bee Line. l
have had wonderful good luck on the road.
In all my service i never lreceiyed a scratch.
l have been in collisions, turned over two or
three times, but was never hurt. Once on
curve two rails were thrown, and every car
went off. But they went straight and didn't
pile up, and nobody was hurt
Old John Brough was manager Of the Bee
Line. He was President and everything
else down to switchman. He ran the road
and his word was law. wish some of these
new-fangled railroad officers could see old
John. 1t would be better than college
course for 'em. He was a man of the best
judgment and caution, the safest railroad
manager | ever saw, and / might say the
most successful. Old John didn't sit in
gilded Office smoking three-for-a-dollar cigars
ride in $4,000 palace coaches, but he was on
hand day and night looking after things.
He didn't ask anybody to stay out longer or
work harder than he did. He would swear
like pirate, but was always approachable,
and never discharged an employe without
hearing what he had to say in self defense.
If a man had met with an accident which
was not attributable to neglect or careless
cess he had no fear to face John Brough:
Let an employe go into a superintendent's
Office now and try to explain an accident or
shut off with we don't want to hear your
story at all, SIR Brough would never allow
double-header to be run over a bridge.
The bridges were new and strong, but when
ever it was necessary to send out a double
header ne would make us cut loose when go
ing over bridge.
The locomotives now running will average
one-third heavier than twenty years ago, and
the bridges are little, II any stronger than
they were in those days. There are few men
who comprehend the great strain given a
bridge by train running at a speed Of forty
miles an hour. When double header is run
over a bridge at a high speed there is inn
mense spring to it, and the strain is brought
to one point while with a slow train the
strain would be uniform, and not brought to
one point. A span $50 feet long might have
locomotives put upon 1t along its entire
length, and it might easily support them, but
two locomotives running over it at thirty
miles an hour might throw 1t down. 1t is
the lateral motion that does it. My judgment
is that testing bridge by covering 1t with
heavily loaded cars and locomotives Is worth
very little, and a bridge that would be safe
on slow trains might not be on trains of high
speed.
Engineers always dread bridges and cul-
verts. On a solid track, with clear road,
the engineer is not afraid of speed, but likes
1t; he likes the exhilaraton Of going rapidly,
just as nearly everybody does. My opinion
is that if that Toledo, Peoria and Western
train had been run in two sections every
thing would have gone over it in safety. The
fact that the first engine went over all right
would support that theory. You have read
that one Of the engineers requested the SUI
perintendent to run the train in two sections,
but the superintendent decided otherwise.
OF course the engineer was man Of expe-
rience, while the superintendent was a man
of authority. The trouble nowadays is
that the Superintendent is too much man
Of the office and not enough man OF the
road. He has theory, but is deficient in
practical experience. There are superinten-
dents on roads running into this city who
never had any practical knowledge, but have
come up to their positions from office clerk
ships and the lives of the travelling public
are in the hands of these men.
We narrowly escaped disaster here few
weeks ago that might have been even greater
than the terrible tragedy at Chatsworth,
when the charity picnic train with 1900 chill
dren started to Bethany Park. People ought
to be kept in mind of the fact that that was a
narrow miss Of an awful horror. Nothing
prevented that accident but the guard rail OF
oaken timbers on the bridge"
How long do engineers last?"
well. there are engineers running IN this
| country who are sixty years old-nOt many,
| though. They usually retire before that age
| Many retire much earlier. The constant
| jarring Of the locomotive produces kidney
| troubles in many persons. SO lar as eyeslght
| is concerned, an engineers eyes, being in
constant practice and training, last well.
| There are a number Of engineers on the Bee
| Line who have been running many years
| There are Stephen Ladd, Lafe Sutton and
John Eusey, who, 1 believe, are the Oldest.